The past three-and-a-half decades have seen saxophone legend Bill Evans graduate from his time with Miles Davis Group in the 1980s, through stints with Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin and Mick Jagger among many others. Recently, these have been supported by his use of DPA Microphones’ d:vote 4099S Instrument Microphone.

‘I was introduced to the d:vote 4099S by my sound engineer, Richard Leutner,’ says Evans. ‘I used it for the first time this past summer on my tenor and soprano saxophones for 26 concerts in Europe, and it sounded great. I was interested in doing some further testing of the mics, and while I was in New York several months later, Gabriel Antonini [National Sales Support/Business Development Manager at DPA], brought in several mics for me to try. I haven’t looked back.’

Evans likes the compact, lightweight form factor of the d:vote 4099S mic, as well as the sound it delivers: ‘It is very easy to use and packs up easily in a small bag with other things I bring on the road with me,’ he elaborates. ‘In this day and age, we have to travel light and DPA is perfect for this as well. I now use it on every performance because it replicates my exact acoustic sound in a wireless microphone. The sound on soprano in particular is amazing. It matches the warm and personal sound I prefer on the soprano by miking the body of the horn and not just the bell, which was Antonini’s idea coupled with input from [DPA Global Sales Support Manager] Bo Brinck. The team at DPA is world class when it comes to sound. The fact that the microphone sounds like the acoustic sound, but amplified, is truly awesome.’

Eveans unveilled the Bill Evans Band in 2015 – a hard hitting montage of jazz, rock, instrumental and vocals – and is supporting the 2016 release, Rise Above.

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